


There’s Worse Ways to Learn About Death

by ratsandsoup



Category: Fanboy & Chum Chum (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Crying, Death, Gen, M/M, Magic, Necromancy, not for any gross purposes tho, they r older, wow i never thought i’d be saying “angst” when talking about a fanboy and chum chum fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27036676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratsandsoup/pseuds/ratsandsoup
Summary: A summary of the events throughout Sigmund, Kyle, and their daughter, Willow’s lives.
Relationships: Chum Chum & Fanboy (Fanboy & Chum Chum), Chum Chum & Lupe (Fanboy and Chum Chum), Chum Chum & Yo (Fanboy and Chum Chum), Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason & Chum Chum, Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason & Original Character(s), Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason/Sigmund, Lupe/Yo (Fanboy & Chum Chum), OC & OC, Sigmund & Original Character(s) (Fanboy and Chum Chum), implied ocxoc, other relationships i don’t have the energy to add
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is inspired by an 11-hour conversation i had with a friends over discord, chapters are pre-written so it’ll update fast ig

It started when they discussed Willow’s field of magic.

They get into a huge fight because Sigmund wants her to be a normal witch for her own safety, but Kyle wants her to be a necromancer because “The more there are, the more they’ll care about legalizing Necromancy in laws of magic. She could help start a revolution.” and Sigmund thinks that’s absolute bullshit and Kyle is pissed because he won’t give it a chance.

It’s definitely part of Kyle’s internal problems with how he knows Sigmund sees Necromancy vs how Kyle practices and is very good with it.

Sigmund is pissed off and says some shit he doesn’t mean, Kyle cries and walks out. 

Willow hates that they’re fighting over her. Because they’re her dads, she loves them, and she knows they love eachother. They haven’t said nasty things and not made up immediately after in a long time.

Sigmund doesn’t want her to do Necromancy because it’s _Necromancy _, it’s illegal, it’s immoral, it’s _dangerous _for everyone involved and saying that all outloud tears into Kyle, he knows Sigmund is protecting him and that the other wouldn’t give him up because he loves him but… just the reminder that Sigmund wants him to be “better” and stuff cuts deep.____

_____ _

_____ _

And Sigmund regrets saying it, sure, but he also needs to keep Willow out of Necromancy so she doesn’t make the mistakes he knows Kyle has made, and so she doesn’t get in trouble. 

Kyle goes off about how it’s just to keep Sigmund’s reputation intact, because “Wouldn’t everyone be so disappointed that you not only married a Necromancer, but your daughter was one too. How embarrassing for you.” How he doesn’t want Willow to be anything like Kyle, some of Kyle’s inner turmoil about not being good enough for Sigmund and shit. 

It’s a shitshow, it only stops because Willow accidentally makes a flowerpot literally explode because obviously, stress and magic don’t mix. 

They’re all crying, and Kyle gets his cape and shoes and just walks out. They need to cool down before they talk.

He’s out for a while, Sigmund waits for him at the kitchen table after he calms Willow down, and takes some time to think about it all more clearly. 

He shouldn’t have said that to Kyle, he knows it’s a touchy subject. It always has been, they’ve never fought over it before though. Maybe it was the years spent sweeping it under the rug while they let the tension build. Years spent turning a blind eye on the rare occasions Kyle comes back with blood on himself, maybe covering his hands, maybe his eyes were discolored and he wouldn’t talk, couldn’t talk. The nights when he came crying his eyes out and clinging to Sigmund saying he’s sorry, that he couldn’t save them, that something went wrong. 

It was always so tense in those times, and he knew why, and he should’ve thought before he spoke like that. But the thought of his daughter like that, the most precious person in his life. He couldn’t bear to think of her in that kind of pain, seeing her fall apart like he had seen Kyle do. Committing murder. 

Kyle takes some time out to relax, thinks it over in a secluded place. Some old graveyard from decades past, with tombstones that barely hold indents of their names. Watches the sunset while he mulls it over. 

He feels just as bad as Sigmund. 

He understands what Sigmunds worried about, has seen first-hand… Felt, what necromancy does. Has had his eyes bleed when he cries from over-exerting himself, had witnessed bodies rising, only to twist themselves into nightmarish shapes and die all over again. He doesn’t want his daughter to go through that either, she’s special. She doesn’t deserve that, but he needs more people to be Necromancers, he needs something he can’t talk to Sigmund, the man hates it… And oh Sigmund…

What he said to his husband had been… admittedly terrible. A lot of his own insecurities, acting like the fear of getting Kyle ripped away from their family because of what he did was always there for Sigmund, he knew it was. whenever he did something stupid with his Necromancy, whenever witnesses tried to get him into trouble. He shouldn’t have yelled, shouldn’t have acted like all Sigmund cared about was his image. They had the same fears, just rooted in their own different ways as the flowers twined together. 

So when he finally comes home, after dark, to find a tired looking Sigmund at the table, worrying his lip enough to bleed, he sits down and hugs him. They cry it out, take a moment to fix it, and then they’re talking. Like adults. 

Willow is proud of her dads.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigmund and Kyle confront the issue they have with Willow practicing Necromancy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha sad fanboy and chum chum fanfiction go brrrr

She’s so used to them having petty fights that don’t mean anything. They’re usually very good at keeping the few actual fights they have to themselves as to not stress her out. But at some point before Kyle came back home she asked Sigmund if they were going to be okay and Sigmund had tiredly said “Yes, of course.” But he didn’t sound sure of it and it scared her to death.

The next morning when things had blown over she had never felt so relieved to see that both of them seemed better.

Kyle’s a little more clingy and Sigmund is tense, but nobody mentions it.

Willow found it strange because usually Sigmund was the clingy one and Kyle only did that when they were alone (she assumed) but she just wanted to believe things were fine now and hoped they’d ease up eventually. Nobody really talked about what happened last night until she came home from school.

_They _were even scared they wouldn’t be able to patch things up, because fuck they love each other, but the constant animosity when it comes to Necromancy was wedging itself in farther to make a hole and they needed to have this fight now, because if they waited longer they probably wouldn’t have been able to fix it.__

__When she comes home they’re sitting at the table, talking again, looking tired, like they had cried. She sits down because she doesn’t want them to get angry at each other again._ _

__She can’t lose a dad over this._ _

__Willow waits until here’s a break in the conversation to ask if they were still upset with each other. Sigmund shook his head and said that they were just talking so something like this didn’t happen again because no matter how much they- he wanted to ignore Necromancy as a whole it would only make things go sour._ _

__Kyle squeezes his hand, he still looks upset about it, but he understands exactly why Sigmund hates Necromancy. And it’s not even why everyone says to hate it anymore, it’s always how beaten up Kyle looks on those occasions, and how easily things can go wrong with it. Sigmund doesn’t want to lose Kyle, so he avoids Necromancy as much as he can to pretend Kyle is perfectly fine._ _

__I mean, you can’t watch your husband cry blood because he used too much energy and the body became a twisted mess and pretend that’s fine._ _

__They’d eventually reach the conclusion that they can’t let Willow practice Necromancy because Sigmund wouldn’t know what to do with the idea that the two people he cared about most doing something that scars you for life. Kyle knows firsthand that it’s messy and draining and he wants what’s best for Willow in the end. No matter how much he wants an uprising he can’t let Willow do it for her and Sigmund’s sake._ _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More problems arise. This time, it’s worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> willow’s full name is “willow klaudia nightbreed/bloodworth-thomason” but that’s a fucking mouthful so

When they thought they were _finally_ done fighting, Willow had somehow at one point decided that magic is dangerous. After all, it’s just tearing their lives apart. She eventually builds up the courage to tell Sigmund and Kyle that they all should at least consider moving.

Kyle agrees with the idea because he knows how dangerous magic can be, but Sigmund doesn’t like the idea of that at _all_.

Willow is a Nightbreed, she’s supposed to go to Milkweed, not some filthy public school. This results in another argument, this time between Willow and Sigmund. Sigmund’s entire life is centered around magic. It’s his career, it’s his bloodline, it’s something he’s never lived without. How is he supposed to just not have his daughter do it? They’re a magic family! They’re _Nightbreeds_!

Kyle is on Willow's side. 

She can’t make _real_ friends because they all care about Sigmund and his reputation, going to another school is best for her, and she has two of the best wizards in the entire country here to teach her if she really wants to do magic. 

“Is all you care about the ‘prestige’ of our family or whatever? I _hate_ Milkweed! All of my friends only care about _you_ because you’re famous. I could have a new start, make friends, dad!” 

“No Nightbreed is-“ 

“Then I’ll use his last name! I don’t wanna be a Nightbreed if it means I have to be a shadow behind YOU!” Kyle tenses, oh no. 

“WILLOW KLAUDIA NIGHTBREED-“ 

“ _SIGMUND_.” It instantly goes quiet, and they’re both staring at Kyle who’s fucking fuming.

“ _Sigmund_. You, me, alone. _Now_.”

And that’s terrifying to hear because Kyle is annoyed or upset at times, yes, but furious? Like this?

Kyle is _never_ furious, he wasn’t even furious when they fought over Willow’s magic. 

Maybe he hates Sigmund seeing Willow as some little intern to be his successor, how Sigmund seems to only think about the Nightbreed side of things and not that they’re both her parents. 

Sigmund follows him to their room without questioning, mostly due to the reason that if Kyle gets any angrier he might accidentally set something on fire with all of that energy. 

Once the door closes Kyle is pacing back and forth, he desperately wants to be reasonable and talk this out, but it’s the well-being of their daughter. Kyle opens his mouth to speak.

“Remember when you pretended to be my friend at Milkweed just to get in and ruin me?” Before he had gone back to Galaxy Hills in the first place, when Sigmund learned everything he could about Kyle and used it against him for _years_. 

And Sigmund goes quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It gets better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go ‘cause we’re fanboy and chum chum

Sigmund hates talking about what he did to Kyle in the past. He was such a shitty person back then and he was angry all the time and Kyle was just an easy target to direct that anger towards. He regrets it now. Wholeheartedly and he just wants to forget about it.

There’s a beat of silence before Sigmund gives a slight nod to let Kyle know he had heard him, despite how much he wished he didn’t. 

“I want  _ words. _ ”

Another moment of silence and then a small “yes...”

Willow bursts into tears and goes to her room. She slams the door so hard practically everyone can hear it. Sigmund jumps at the noise, and despite the situation, starts wondering what he could’ve said differently.

Kyle winces when he hears a door slam, so does Sigmund. They know what it is, but they can’t comfort their daughter until they talk. 

“What do you think they’re doing to  _ Willow _ ?“ Kyle’s voice cracks, he can’t imagine his daughter going through that pain. “All of her friends are just going through the motions because of  _ you _ , they heard her name and knew that if they got in, they could see  _ you.  _ A celebrity.” 

Sigmund understands what he means, but. “It’s still a family tradition-“ 

“I don’t care.” And Sigmund’s eyes widen, he gets reared up to start yelling, Kyle holds up a hand. “Leaving Milkweed for that small amount of time I did made me a better person, I made friends.  _ Real _ friends. When I was able to function like a person, when I knew how relationships worked, you were apologizing for what you did, and I was back in Milkweed.” He steps forward.

“Milkweed isn’t what she needs, not right now, she needs friends. Not some tradition, we can start our own traditions here. Let her choose, you can still do your shows...” He was gonna keep talking but mentioning his work would sour the conversation immediately and Sigmund wouldn’t listen. “And she can always come back to Milkweed if she changes her mind.” 

Sigmund didn’t expect that speech, neither did Kyle.

Sigmund was raised old-fashioned with the idea that “traditions are sacred” drilled into his brain mercilessly. It was used as a way to keep him under control and to preserve the bloodline. Of course he ditched some traditions so he could be his own person but that didn’t mean some still weren’t close to him and it was strange for him to just not do them.

His husband pleading with him to think about it and Willow’s problems with it hit him hard, and he realizes he’s not choosing between sending her to Milkweed or Galaxy Hills. 

He’s choosing whether she sticks around when she becomes an adult, or if she cuts him off entirely, and he knows that if he makes the wrong choice it’ll sever his relationships with both Kyle and Willow. 

And he doesn’t know what to say about that, he loves them dearly. They’re everything to him, and he can’t lose them. 

“Ok...Yeah, ok.” And Kyle is hugging him so tightly he fears it’ll ache later.

He tells himself it’ll turn out fine. It won’t change much. They can still be a magic family and if she wants they can teach her magic themselves. They’re both more than capable. And if she ever wants to go back to Milkweed then that’d be great. But he shouldn’t get ahead of himself.

Willow is absolutely overjoyed when she hears the news and is smiling so wide and is hugging them both so tightly she might break their ribs. The decision becomes so much  _ easier  _ seeing how happy she is.

Sigmund realizes that Kyle’s right. This  _ is _ better for Willow. Having no friends and being forced to practice magic isn’t exactly how he wants his daughter to spend her childhood.

Magic is something sacred, that you should do at your own will. Being forced into it all isn’t healthy.

Two nights later, Kyle teases him and calls him old-fashioned and Sigmund’s never been so glad to get teased before, because that meant that they weren’t too tense anymore. They had been tense for two days and he finally felt like he didn’t mess things up too bad. 

Things go back to normal; Aside from the getting ready to move and everything. 

Willow has never been happier to see her dads getting along.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They move to Galaxy Hills; It’s the most exciting thing they’ve done in a while.

When they get to Galaxy Hills, Kyle is vibrating with energy; He’s excited to be back _home_ _._

Willow and Sigmund are both wary, but after they get their things in the house he shows them around to take a break from unpacking and setting up. 

And he looks happy, Willow looks happy. Sigmund likes that.

The first thing they do after they move in is go to see Kyle’s old friends. They take a mini-tour around Galaxy Hills that was led by Toby, and he immediately stops at the Frosty Mart.

“Wills, have you ever had a Frosty Freezy Freeze?” Toby asked, turning to her as she walked through the doors of the Frosty Mart.

“No-” Before she could finish, Sigmund answered with an “I don’t recommend it. At all.”

“It’s disgusting! You should try it!” Kyle interjected, chuckling to himself.

Kyle gets crushed in a hug immediately because c’mon, uncle Toby is his best friend. They’re laughing and joking around, Sigmund is jealous Toby can be so nonchalant about keeping his arm around Kyle’s shoulder, even though he’s not trying to steal Sigmund’s man.

They all leave to try and go catch up on the past few years, leaving Willow inside the Frosty Mart, and then that’s when a tan, curly-haired girl approaches her.

“Hi! Wh-” Willow cuts her off. “Yes, Sigmund the Sorcerer is my father, if you want an autograph, please find something to write with and/or on.” She deadpanned.

“Okay, _and?”_ What’s _your_ name?” She asked, one eyebrow quirked in confusion.

“Oh, uh, Willow.” She replied, waving her hand dismissively. The girl smiled, and took Willow’s hand in her own and shook it. “My name’s Ivána.”

As if on cue, an asian woman stood about 50 feet away, shouting for Ivána and gesturing for her to hurry up. She was holding the hand of a younger boy’s hand. He looked to be about 7, maybe 8. Ivána released Willow’s hand, walking to said woman and waving “goodbye” to Willow, the back of her palm facing her.

When Willow is so talkative about her first day at school (despite not actually speaking much during it), Sigmund understands why Kyle wanted this for her. She’s got that light in her eyes.

Despite the move, Sigmund and Kyle still have their respective jobs. Nobody knows where Sigmund and Kyle moved to so that means they can actually have a chance for peace and quiet.

It’s new, but Sigmund kind of likes it.

No fans randomly coming to the doorstep, nothing. 

He can have a little garden in the front (that Kyle isn’t allowed to touch because sometimes he kills whatever plants he touches on accident) and he can have a normal ass life when he’s not working and it’s...Wonderful.

This is the most content he’s been in years.

Whenever Sigmund goes away for shows, Willow likes to stay with Toby or keep Kyle company. She knows Kyle gets lonely, so she sleeps with him in his bed.

After Willow’s interaction with her at the Frosty Mart, they go to visit Yo, Chum Chum, and Lupe. 

Willow’s slightly shocked when she sees Ivána in their apartment.

Willow was even more shocked when she learned that her moms (and their housemate, who went by Chum Chum) were old friends of her dad’s and Toby’s.

They spoke for a while, and as it turns out, Willow and Ivána had a lot more in common then Willow had ever realized. They joked about videos they’d watched and discussed movies they liked.

For a moment, everything was perfect.

Kyle doesn’t say anything until one summer day, they’re on the back porch steps with popsicles, watching Willow while she runs around the sprinkler with her friends. 

He takes Sigmund’s hand and squeezes it. “Told you this was for the best, I haven’t seen you this happy in years.” 

“I-...” Sigmund watches the kids as someone falls in the mud. “Yeah.” And he leans into Kyle. 

The moment is only broken when Toby pulls back up with water guns.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally have a moment of domesticity and peace that (mostly) doesn’t involve crazy magic.

Kyle’s can’t help but be more at ease without people on his ass all the time about his Necromancy.

At one point he accidentally raises a bunch of zombies and he can’t get them to go down because they’re so old, so Toby has to help him distract Sigmund while they figure out a way to fix it. 

Just like the olden days.

Sigmund doesn’t even realize it happened until that night in bed and Sigmund is cuddled up with Kyle and his nose crinkles.

“What’s that smell?”

“Hm?” Kyle mumbles, half asleep.

“It’s like something  _ died _ . You didn’t do anything crazy, right?”

“... No...”

“Good.” And they go to sleep.

A few days later, they’re sitting at home at the dinner table eating Chinese takeout with Sigmund trying to steal off Kyle’s plate and Willow says “Toby found a stray dog today.”

Kyle stops trying to hit Sigmund’s hand away and looks at her. “What are you trying to say..?”

Willow shrugs and looks at her plate. “ I mean... I’ve never had a pet before.”

Sigmund lights up, clasping his hands together . “Oh! We could bring it in! Toby lives in an apartment and our place is big enough! We’ve got a backyard, too!” 

Kyle presses his lips together in a thin line. He tosses his noodles back and forth with his chopsticks. “I don’t  _ like _ dogs.“ He looks up and catches sight of the puppy eyes both his husband and Willow are giving him.

“Okay, what? Do I have two kids now?”

“Can we...?” Willow asks, voice full of hope.

There’s a beat of silence as Kyle looks between the two of them. Their eyes are shining and Sigmund is bouncing in his seat.

“I’ll think about it..”

Sigmund and Willow grin like idiots as Willow lets out a celebratory “Yes!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is as good as it gets for a while


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyle’s Necromancy takes a toll on his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pov ur necromancer dad is fuckin scary

Deep inside Willow almost  _ wants _ to go back to Milkweed. She loves magic, and she misses it all. But her and her family having friends and being happy overshadows Milkweed.

And she’s fine with that.

Sigmund and Kyle give her home lessons. Kyle’s is more academic while lessons with Sigmund are crazy. 

You’d expect Kyle’s to be crazy because he literally raises the dead, but no, he keeps necromancy out of it. Respecting Sigmund’s wishes. 

When she gets curious about it after a while he just kinda shows her the scars and the weaves of magic under his skin and how badly it really affects you, and tells her that if she really wants to learn she has to understand that it never gets easier and that it hurts.

Kyle knows that Willow is like Sigmund because he mentions he’s going to teach her how to do the really extravagant and flashy tricks she gets excited.

He loves it, as much as the extravagant tricks are annoying they’re also nice when you get to see how happy your family is with them.

“Maybe she watched too many of your shows when she was young.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, course not. It’s kind of adorable.”

Willow learns about Necromancy but she doesn’t practice it. She finds it dangerous and she can’t make a commitment like that. And the look Sigmund has whenever she brings it up is enough to keep her away.

Kyle would have scars from Necromancy, it’s something he’d known since he’d started practicing it. Hell, he’d already had some formed on his skin already. Sometimes, Sigmund even traces them with his hands absentmindedly. They’re a stark reminder of what he does but he tries not to think about where they come from too much.

She sneaks out to see how Kyle does it first hand and she sees how powerful he is.

But he sees her and that little distraction is enough for the spell to go wrong and he’s yelling at her to go home, worried, while the body cracks and pops as it forms wrong and she’s terrified even as it drops dead and Kyle’s coming over to get her away from the sight. 

Sigmund doesn’t know about it until she cracks and says that’s why she’s been avoiding Kyle for a couple days and Sigmund holds her close and tells her it’s ok.

Sigmund traces them when he’s wearing short sleeves, and when Kyle’s sleeping. They wind around, and the magical energy almost glows in the dark and he knows how much Kyle tries to hide them to keep everyone at ease but it’s… Worrying, to say the least. Necromancers aren’t supposed to be able to live this long doing this kind of magic, it drains them, Kyle’s different of course. There’s something about him that makes it easier on his body, but it’s still taking that much of a toll on him it’s just.. A  _ lot _ to think about.

Sigmund can remember when all the scars and the energy was just centered in one spot in his chest, but now it’s feathering out across it and down to his arms, some on his back. It’s terrifying. But any other necromancer would be weak or dead after twenty years of doing it, so he knows he’s lucky. 

It doesn’t stop him looking for some way to fix it, some way to help Kyle.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigmund and Kyle talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not posting like at all yesterday i had stuff going on so here’s a longer-ish chapter to make up for it

Sigmund is an incredibly powerful wizard. One of the most powerful in the world. So he thinks there’s got to be a way he can fix it. Or slow it. Or soothe the pain.

Kyle finds him one night, it’s late, but Sigmund is still up, pouring over a book written in a language he can’t read, his husband is bouncing his leg anxiously. 

And Kyle knows, without even thinking about it. 

He pulls Sigmund up quietly, hugging him tight. They stand like that for a while, Kyle shushing Sigmund while he starts crying. “Baby... Shhh, I’m ok. It’s ok. It’s not going to kill me, we aren’t even near the final stages.” 

“The final stages?” 

“I-...” 

Necronomicon is summoned (the groggy old book perfectly content to snooze) as Kyle shows Sigmund what he needs. It doesn’t help Sigmund any, because now he knows how the magic spreads through him, and he’ll know when it’s too late to save Kyle. 

And that puts him even more on edge with it, and he pours over anything he can in his free time. 

He tried a spell once, and it made the splintering recede for a moment. Only to come back and spread a tiny bit farther than before.

Sigmund feels so anxious once he learns that fact. Whenever he can he looks to try and get a gauge on how much worse it’s gotten. Whenever he notices a significant difference he feels his chest tighten and he tries to get Kyle to just sit with him a bit. So he can lay down and feel his pulse.

His pulse was as practically as strong as a fucking horse the day they got married.

Now it’s significantly weaker, but it’s still beating. And Kyle knows when he needs a break. 

It’s still beating. It’s ok. 

Sigmund still cries when he realizes it’s not as strong, and Kyle holds him. But he can’t just… Stop doing Necromancy. 

One night Sigmund finally asks Kyle  _ why _ , why would he keep doing this when it’s so dangerous? When it will kill him one day? 

“I couldn’t save my parents.” Kyle never talks about his parents. Never. “I couldn’t... I wasn’t good enough at magic when they died to help them, watched them twitch to life...But they weren’t-“ His voice cracks. “They weren’t _ right _ .” 

And Sigmund is quiet, he doesn’t know what to say. 

“I told myself I’d keep going until I saved someone, until I made up for it. I still haven’t I... It never lasts long enough, maybe an hour or two but I can feel it. Every time they die again.” 

“Kyle...” 

“I don’t... I need to do this Sigmund. I  _ need _ to save someone.” 

But he couldn’t save himself in the end either.

One night, Sigmund just  _ can’t  _ feel his pulse anymore.

Sigmund just thinks he’s sleeping but he checks anyway. He puts his fingers to his neck and feels his blood run cold when he can’t feel it. He bolts up and has Kyle’s shoulder gripped and is shaking him awake as tears start to well in his eyes. 

Kyle wakes up and Sigmund can feel the pulse again. It’s so, so faint and Sigmund just sits back and breaks down. He doesn’t even realize he’s begging Kyle to stop practicing necromancy in between sobs until Kyle has his arms wrapped around and is shushing him, telling him he’ll think about it so he can calm down.

When he’s finally able to make coherent thoughts the first thing he says with tears still streaming down his face is “I THOUGHT YOU WERE  _ DEAD _ ! DO YOU  _ KNOW _ HOW TERRIFYING THAT IS?” He doesn’t even realize he’s shouting until Kyle asks him to quiet down for Willow’s sake.

Kyle’s been gradually getting worse over time of course, you can’t stop the spread of the energy. He’s paler, like a corpse, he can’t hide the energy under his skin well anymore. Couldn’t once it started crawling up his neck, once he started having to wear gloves. The bags under his eyes are a huge contrast to how pale he started getting, but he still pushes himself. He’s weaker, but he’s still Kyle. And Sigmund is terrified. It’s too far. He knew he couldn’t save Kyle the day he found the other man staring at himself in the mirror.

You could see the fear potent in Kyle’s eyes, he knows they can’t save him. Not anymore. 

His pulse is barely there, and some days you could almost consider Kyle a walking corpse; It’s a miracle he’s not dead. 

Willow knows, she’s known since her dad showed her originally that it’ll kill him, but she… Didn’t know anything aside from that. She knows it’s getting worse when Kyle collapses while they’re out with the group, the feathering is going towards his eyes. 

That’s when everyone else finds out it’s killing him, and they’re quiet, they’re scared too but there’s nothing they can do now. 

After the night Sigmund thinks Kyle died they rarely separate from each other, and Kyle still does necromancy. Though he quickly realizes he doesn’t even have the energy to get people to come back for more than a minute, he can pull a pet up and give them thirty, but that’s it. He’s useless, and he hates that.

So he’s pushing himself again. He can’t be useless, he can’t die, he never… He never reached his goal, even with all of the power he had, he’s going to die without seeing Willow grow up, without getting to his 20th anniversary. He’s scared again. 

And then his heart stops beating altogether. 

He’s awake on the couch, weak, but still alive. And Sigmund checks his pulse but this time he can’t...Feel anything. And he sits up, staring wide-eyed at Kyle. 

“Kyle... Your-“ 

“I know, it’s been like that for the past couple days.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh sad

“Kyle you should be dead… You  _ are _ dead.” Sigmund’s crying. 

Kyle pulls him close, shushes him. It doesn’t help, he can’t. Kyle won’t live to see Willow go through her teenage years. “Just...I’m holding it off, a little. As much as I can it’s...” 

Sigmund shakes his head. “It’s hurting you Kyle, and… As much as I need you, as much as  _ Willow _ needs you, I can’t let you suffer like this.” 

Kyle smiles at him, kisses him. “I love you, so much. Tell Willow I love her too ok?” 

“Kyle...” And that’s it. 

And Sigmund breaks. Sobbing, begging Kyle not to do this to him.

Not even 4 days later, Willow finds Sigmund crying, holding her dad's dead body and she’s just numb, she doesn’t know what to do.

After Kyle’s passing Sigmund is practically a ghost to the public. His shows stop, his appearances stop, it’s like he dropped off the face of the Earth.

The only bit of info they got was that Kyle passed. And that’s the last they heard from the Nightbreeds.

He can’t muster the energy to do that face, he can’t smile and laugh on stage while he’s so utterly broken. 

He takes to wearing Kyle’s cape, all the time. He needs the comfort, wrapping it around himself feels like Kyle is still there.

Willow keeps going to school, keeping up her grades and things. It’s what Kyle wanted for her, to succeed and be great. 

Sigmund almost goes to Necromancy, but Willow stops him. “You’re strong, but not in the same way he was. You’ll die faster and I can’t lose both of my dads.” 

And Kyle had never found a way for it to be permanent anyways, and he dedicated his life to doing just that. So it’s left alone despite the temptation. 

Kyle wouldn’t be the same, Sigmund knows, he doesn’t have the right Kind of energy. He’s not like Kyle was.

It’s probably three years before Sigmund is shown in public again. He had gone out before but under a spell so no one could seen him, bother him, ask him anything. It was just at Willow’s graduation he was public. 

He looked tired. So, so tired. His skin was paler than before and the red eyes that used to sparkle on stage were dim and dull. He’s lost weight, which is worrying considering he was already skinny. He has rounded sunglasses on and a black sun hat, Kyle’s cape wrapped around his shoulders like a shield. It’s wrapped so tightly around him his knuckles are stark white against the black fabric. 

He barely manages a smile when Willow steps up on stage.

When Kyle died, both of their souls died with him.

After the graduation and Sigmund is speaking in hushed tones with Willow, someone dares to step over and ask if he was okay. If there would be any shows ever again.

A beat of silence, a strange, slightly irked, look. And just a soft “No.” with a shake of his head.

“What do you-“

“I said  _ no _ .” He takes a shuddering breath, his shoulders shaking as he pulls off the sunglasses. “There won’t be shows. Ever. Do not ask me again.”

Willow feels heartbroken seeing how cold Sigmund had become. How the enthusiasm and flair he used to have was buried with her father.

He’s quiet where he used to be energetic. 

Cold where he used to be welcoming.

Miserable when he used to thrive.

He knows Kyle wouldn’t have wanted him to mope, but he can’t move on. It’s too hard. 

He’s miserable but he keeps going for Willow, he promised Kyle he’d take care of her no matter what, and he will. 

It’s a long time before he finds the note. 

It’s shoved in a box in the back of the closet, it has Sigmund’s name on it, Kyles handwriting. 

20th anniversary is what the envelope says, and Sigmund is on his knees, staring at those words. Kyle had it all planned out, he held the hope he’d live that long. 

There’s a smaller box in here too, but he opens the note first. Anything for Kyle to tell him he loved him again. 

It’s long, a couple pages, a sappy speech, how much Kyle loves him, trying to ease the worries that he wouldn’t die so fast, that they’d last to the 25th anniversary and beyond. 

It tears at his heartstrings, but he holds it away while he cries, can’t ruin the sacred words with his tears. 

At the end it says what the box is, a ring. To renew their vows because he’s an absolute  _ sap _ when you let him be, and it shatters Sigmund. Completely. Kyle had planned that far, had loved him that much. And they never got to do this. 

Willow comes in to see what’s wrong, and she just pulls her dad close. There’s nothing she can say.

Willow hasn’t seen Sigmund laugh in years. She has barely seen him smile. She feels like it’s her fault he’s so miserable because he’s still holding on for her. She tries to help the best she can but he’s inconsolable sometimes. 

Sometimes she’ll catch him in the bedroom, sitting on the bed watching old videos of them or of his shows. Almost like he was trying to remind himself of who he used to be and still  _ was _ , somewhere. He wanted to believe that somewhere inside he was still that shiny eyed, enthusiastic, lovesick fool who was petty and dramatic and liked attention and liked to be on stage and make others  _ smile _ .

He wonders if he could’ve done something. Could’ve been more convincing. Maybe, just maybe, if he was more pushy or- or more persuasive, then Kyle would’ve stopped before it got so bad. Stopped before it took his pulse. Stop before necromancy took everything from him.

Very few photos from Kyle’s final year remain. They made Sigmund sick looking at how frail he was and how his smile didn’t reach his eyes. They’re shoved away somewhere in the attic, buried under junk and boxes. He would’ve burned them if he had the courage but he  _ couldn’t _ . He couldn’t destroy anything of Kyle’s. If he had it his way all his stuff would still be in the bedroom and not in the attic like Willow told him to.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh sad

“Kyle you should be dead… You  _ are _ dead.” Sigmund’s crying. 

Kyle pulls him close, shushes him. It doesn’t help, he can’t. Kyle won’t live to see Willow go through her teenage years. “Just...I’m holding it off, a little. As much as I can it’s...” 

Sigmund shakes his head. “It’s hurting you Kyle, and… As much as I need you, as much as  _ Willow _ needs you, I can’t let you suffer like this.” 

Kyle smiles at him, kisses him. “I love you, so much. Tell Willow I love her too ok?” 

“Kyle...” And that’s it. 

And Sigmund breaks. Sobbing, begging Kyle not to do this to him.

Not even 4 days later, Willow finds Sigmund crying, holding her dad's dead body and she’s just numb, she doesn’t know what to do.

After Kyle’s passing Sigmund is practically a ghost to the public. His shows stop, his appearances stop, it’s like he dropped off the face of the Earth.

The only bit of info they got was that Kyle passed. And that’s the last they heard from the Nightbreeds.

He can’t muster the energy to do that face, he can’t smile and laugh on stage while he’s so utterly broken. 

He takes to wearing Kyle’s cape, all the time. He needs the comfort, wrapping it around himself feels like Kyle is still there.

Willow keeps going to school, keeping up her grades and things. It’s what Kyle wanted for her, to succeed and be great. 

Sigmund almost goes to Necromancy, but Willow stops him. “You’re strong, but not in the same way he was. You’ll die faster and I can’t lose both of my dads.” 

And Kyle had never found a way for it to be permanent anyways, and he dedicated his life to doing just that. So it’s left alone despite the temptation. 

Kyle wouldn’t be the same, Sigmund knows, he doesn’t have the right Kind of energy. He’s not like Kyle was.

It’s probably three years before Sigmund is shown in public again. He had gone out before but under a spell so no one could seen him, bother him, ask him anything. It was just at Willow’s graduation he was public. 

He looked tired. So, so tired. His skin was paler than before and the red eyes that used to sparkle on stage were dim and dull. He’s lost weight, which is worrying considering he was already skinny. He has rounded sunglasses on and a black sun hat, Kyle’s cape wrapped around his shoulders like a shield. It’s wrapped so tightly around him his knuckles are stark white against the black fabric. 

He barely manages a smile when Willow steps up on stage.

When Kyle died, both of their souls died with him.

After the graduation and Sigmund is speaking in hushed tones with Willow, someone dares to step over and ask if he was okay. If there would be any shows ever again.

A beat of silence, a strange, slightly irked, look. And just a soft “No.” with a shake of his head.

“What do you-“

“I said  _ no _ .” He takes a shuddering breath, his shoulders shaking as he pulls off the sunglasses. “There won’t be shows. Ever. Do not ask me again.”

Willow feels heartbroken seeing how cold Sigmund had become. How the enthusiasm and flair he used to have was buried with her father.

He’s quiet where he used to be energetic. 

Cold where he used to be welcoming.

Miserable when he used to thrive.

He knows Kyle wouldn’t have wanted him to mope, but he can’t move on. It’s too hard. 

He’s miserable but he keeps going for Willow, he promised Kyle he’d take care of her no matter what, and he will. 

It’s a long time before he finds the note. 

It’s shoved in a box in the back of the closet, it has Sigmund’s name on it, Kyles handwriting. 

20th anniversary is what the envelope says, and Sigmund is on his knees, staring at those words. Kyle had it all planned out, he held the hope he’d live that long. 

There’s a smaller box in here too, but he opens the note first. Anything for Kyle to tell him he loved him again. 

It’s long, a couple pages, a sappy speech, how much Kyle loves him, trying to ease the worries that he wouldn’t die so fast, that they’d last to the 25th anniversary and beyond. 

It tears at his heartstrings, but he holds it away while he cries, can’t ruin the sacred words with his tears. 

At the end it says what the box is, a ring. To renew their vows because he’s an absolute  _ sap _ when you let him be, and it shatters Sigmund. Completely. Kyle had planned that far, had loved him that much. And they never got to do this. 

Willow comes in to see what’s wrong, and she just pulls her dad close. There’s nothing she can say.

Willow hasn’t seen Sigmund laugh in years. She has barely seen him smile. She feels like it’s her fault he’s so miserable because he’s still holding on for her. She tries to help the best she can but he’s inconsolable sometimes. 

Sometimes she’ll catch him in the bedroom, sitting on the bed watching old videos of them or of his shows. Almost like he was trying to remind himself of who he used to be and still  _ was _ , somewhere. He wanted to believe that somewhere inside he was still that shiny eyed, enthusiastic, lovesick fool who was petty and dramatic and liked attention and liked to be on stage and make others  _ smile _ .

He wonders if he could’ve done something. Could’ve been more convincing. Maybe, just maybe, if he was more pushy or- or more persuasive, then Kyle would’ve stopped before it got so bad. Stopped before it took his pulse. Stop before necromancy took everything from him.

Very few photos from Kyle’s final year remain. They made Sigmund sick looking at how frail he was and how his smile didn’t reach his eyes. They’re shoved away somewhere in the attic, buried under junk and boxes. He would’ve burned them if he had the courage but he  _ couldn’t _ . He couldn’t destroy anything of Kyle’s. If he had it his way all his stuff would still be in the bedroom and not in the attic like Willow told him to.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigmund realizes something after Kyle’s death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h

When Sigmund smiles for the first time in practically forever, it’s sitting at Kyle’s grave. He tells ‘Kyle’ that he  _ did _ accomplish something. He kept a corpse alive for months. It was  _ himself _ . Nobody had realized, Kyle had taken a pretty damn big leap in necromancy.

He kept a _legally_ _dead_ man alive for 2 days, despite it being himself.

Kyle always thought he couldn’t do it but maybe it was because he was already keeping a corpse alive. People could only imagine the smell that Sigmund couldn’t help but notice. And the fact that Kyle looked like- and was,  _ literally decomposing. _

His skin peeled and his hair fell out. His nails rotted and the black polish chipped off with it.

Sigmund finally smiles after he realizes Kyle did it, he _did_ _it,_ exactly what he wanted to do 

That’s the biggest breakthrough you could possibly get in necromancy, keeping your own dead body alive. 

Kyle probably would’ve kept going if he didn’t notice too, that’s what hit Sigmund. How long would it have taken for him to realize his husband had practically been a corpse for  _ months _ .

He actually starts digging through the pictures to pinpoint  _ exactly _ when Kyle has really “died”. Willow comes home and she watches her dad smiling with this big cork board, with some of Kyle’s old notes from his diary. 

“Dad? What are you doing??” She’s scared that he finally went crazy. 

“He did it Willow, Kyle was basically dead six months before he actually died, legally dead two days before.” 

“What the fuck.” 

“His goal was to keep someone alive, make a spell that was permanent, but when he started dying too it drained his energy when he was keeping his own body alive.” It explains why Kyle’s heart stopped that one night while he was sleeping, because he was so deep in his dream his body tried to kill him off to end it already. 

Willow can’t tell if Sigmund actually went crazy or if he’s still sane, but he’s smiling again. After  _ years _ of not being able to muster anything other than a weak wobbly thing that didn’t reach his eyes, he’s smiling wide, hugging Kyle’s cape around himself.

Willow’s concerned, but realizes he’s right. This is what her dad wanted.

She lets him talk about it, gets him to eat something again in between sentences. He’s got all of Kyle’s notes, he can present it to someone and get it in history books that Kyle did all of this. 

And Willow is worried about Sigmund pushing himself, so she decides she’ll stay and help him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. Get him to eat, make sure he takes care of himself. 

Maybe she can get him back again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is it.

Sigmund has a slow comeback to who he used to be.

He still has bad days where the grief is too much, but now he’s got a reason to keep going aside from Willow, he’s got all of Kyle’s notes and information to get out there, for everyone to see how talented his husband was.

She hasn’t seen him with that enthusiasm in years and he’s finally got that light in his eyes again. He’s finally excited about something.

At one point, maybe 2 months into what she had dubbed “The Kyle Project”, she carefully brought up the subject of how well he had been doing recently.

“I have, haven’t I?”

“Yeah! It’s nice to see you smile again…”

“...It’s nice to be able to again.”

In the end it’s still Kyle making him smile. 

He goes to the grave one day with a smile on his face, hugging Kyle’s book close. It has the picture from their wedding day in it, and the one from the first day they ever had Willow (they’re all sobbing, Kyle because he’s happy, Sigmund because Willow is, and Willow because y’know, baby.)

He’s smiling.

_ But he’s tired. _

He talks for a bit, about everything, their time together, what he’s doing now. Laughing. 

Willow finds him the next day leaning against the stone with a smile on his face, he’s gone, but he had a good long life. He was happy. 

Willow sits between the two stones and reminisces as she watches the sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IAJABAGGAGAHAHAHA A AAAA A A AA


End file.
